Based on what the actress recently told EW, banished handmaid Emily has hard times ahead of her. At best, we expect her to get horribly sick after being sent to the Colonies. The punishment does include cleaning up toxic waste, after all.

"Anyone in Gilead would be terrified to be sent to the Colonies," Bledel told EW. "Everything from the soil the unwomen turn over to the water they use to wash is toxic in the Colonies, so a person's health begins to rapidly deteriorate as soon as they get there. They know they will die there, all the while forced to do hard labor without decent food to eat or clean living conditions."

As a scientist in the days before Gilead, Emily likely understands the dangers better than most. Sadly, it sounds like she is pretty resigned to her fate.

"Emily does not have a great deal of hope for a future there; she knows her days are numbered," Bledel said.

The actress previously admitted to Seth Meyers that it can be hard to watch the show because the dark subject matter leaves her feeling "tortured." Given her character's trajectory, we doubt she'll change her mind in the upcoming season.